Himalayas Mountains

Manali Leh Road | Vignettes from “The Hell Race”!

Manali Leh road by foot? You must be wondering whether we are joking. No, we just finished Great Himalayan Running Festival and we were fortunate to experience Himalayas from the close quarters. The 2019 edition is from 15-23 June. Check details here http://www.thehellrace.com/the-high-5s/

We did Manali Leh road trip way back in 2010. The roads were bad and at many places non-existent. When we read about GHRF we jumped at the opportunity of running on this road. The concept was unique and we loved it. We opted for 14 KMs. This was the first edition and it was a mind-blowing experience. The support from the organisers was great which enhanced our tete a tete with Himalayas. We shall be writing more about this later in detail.

In the meantime, we will leave you with some lovely pictures of Manali Leh road captured during the run.

Please click on the pictures to see them in original size.

Manali Leh

We stayed in Marhi for acclimatisation as part of the run. The Day 1 of the run was started few kilometres before Rohtang Pass. This is the panoramic view of mountains from Marhi.

Manali Leh

A stupa with mountains of Pir Panjal ranges of Himalayas at Rohtang Pass. This year there was no snow on the pass as early as mid June.

Manali Leh

The lovely Chandra valley on the way to Jispa, our first night halt

Manali Leh

Deepak Tal. First of the two pristine lakes we encountered on this road. Just before our start point on second day at Zing Zing Bar.

manali leh

Climbing up to start point at Zing Zing Bar on Day 2. The landscape is spectacular.

Manali Leh

Taking a break @ lovely Suraj Tal on the way to Barlacha La….

Manali Leh

Crossing Barlacha La at 15,500 feet. There wasn’t much snow but nevertheless spectacular!

Manali Leh

@ Favourite camping grounds at Sarchu on Day 2

Manali leh

The Landscape at Sarchu!!

Manali Leh

Spectacular views between Sarchu and Pang on Day 3. The iconic mud arch.

 

Manali Leh

Day 4 at beautiful Moreh Plains

manali leh

The zig zag roads at Tanglang La

Manali Leh

The colourful mountains on the way to Leh after Rumtse

This was something we never imagined we would do. It was a test for physical and mental endurance. It was a fantastic experience of running/walking amidst Himalayas! We shall be back with details soon. For more on the event, you can check details on the website of GHRF given above.

Please Share
Did you like this post? Did you find it interesting? If yes, please share it with your friends by clicking the buttons below. Our endeavour is to share experiences to inspire you to travel more!

 

 

Leave a Comment